European Patent Office completes shift to digital procedures

The European Patent Office will complete the transition to a fully digital patent-granting process on 1 April 2027.

Electronic filing will become mandatory for European and international patent procedures handled by the EPO, while electronic notification through the MyEPO Mailbox will become the default method of communication.

Paper submissions will generally need to be resubmitted electronically, with limited exceptions such as documents filed during certain in-person appeal proceedings.

Third-party observations will also have to be submitted electronically.

The EPO’s Administrative Council has approved the legal changes needed for the transition, which formalises a shift already adopted by most users.

More than 99% of new patent applications, 97% of oppositions and 94% of third-party observations are already filed electronically, while over 80% of notifications are digital.

The EPO said updated safeguards will protect users during system interruptions and other exceptional circumstances.

Targeted assistance, guidance and accessibility support will remain available for users who have not yet moved to digital services.

Why does it matter?

Mandatory digital filing will standardise how applicants, patent representatives and other users interact with the EPO, making procedures faster and reducing reliance on paper-based communication. Since electronic channels will also become central to legally significant filings and notifications, strong cybersecurity, data protection, accessibility and safeguards for system failures will be essential to maintaining legal certainty across the European patent system.

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